Daphne's Dates
by Curlscat
Summary: Because what I need to be doing is starting new fanfics, obviously. "'How many boys have you broken up with in the past year' 'That's different. I break up with them because they are not right for me.'" Daphne's had a lot of boyfriends. She's loved them all. This story chronicles them: from the ones whose names she barely remembers to the ones she wishes could have lasted forever.
1. Prologue

**AN~ This is my reaction against the fandom's decision to pair Daphne with Mustardseed without thinking about any other options. Because Daphne _has_ options. Most of you probably know how I feel about Daphnerseed, so this won't be a surprise to you. If you don't know, PM me or something, and we can discuss our shipping preferences at length. I always have fun doing that.**

**Now, at the start, it looks like this might be a Daphne/Wendell piece, but don't be fooled. This is just the intro.**

**Disclaimer: if I owned the series, Daphne would have learned some of the lessons she's probably going to learn here a _long_ time ago.**

* * *

"You two should totally date."

It's summer again, and the Grimms are all back home- it's traditional anymore, everyone getting together for the whole summer, all of them in Granny's house. What's not technically a tradition but keeps happening (is happening now, in fact) is that the Everafters of the town keep shoving their children at the house when Sabrina and Daphne are back.

Daphne can't exactly blame them; there are less than ten Everafter kids who still live in town all year, and half of them are fifteen- practically adults, even if they're still babies compared to most of the Everafters. So when four new kids come back, it's understandable that their parents send them over almost constantly.

The problem is that most of them don't get along. Oh, Basil gets along really well with Bess and Hamstead's kid, and Snow and Charming's, too, but none of them are even in grade school yet, and that's the time of life when everything is simple (Daphne might be a bit biased because after she hit grade school her parents disappeared and everything got complicated). But the fifteen-year-olds, who are technically too old for playdates, don't play nice together.

Well, that's not quite true. Puck and Natalie have a lot of fun wrestling and attacking Sabrina, but Sabrina hates all three of them. She can't get over the fact that Bella and Natalie used to be evil, and she thinks Wendell is a weird nerd who's almost as annoying as Puck.

So Daphne hangs out with them while Sabrina and Red, and sometimes Pinocchio, play games off by themselves. Red doesn't like being around this many people; it makes it hard for her to stay calm. And Pinocchio just gets offended easily.

Daphne doesn't really have a problem with any of them. She's forgiven Bella and Natalie because their dad told them to do it, after all, and they thought it was for a good reason. Pinocchio can get really annoying, but he's getting better as he grows up. Basil and his little friends are adorable, and she loves to play with them. Puck is like a fun big brother. And Wendell is like her twin- except he's four years older.

Which is why Bella has said this to the two of them.

Daphne and Wendell have decided they're going to open up a detective agency over the summer- nothing big, just for the fun of it. Wendell will wear a fedora and a trench coat and she'll wear tweed and smoke a bubble pipe, and together they'll solve tiny crimes in a completely disproportionately dramatic style. It'll be tons of fun, and they're both very excited. Bella's been watching and smirking.

Wendell looks up in response to what she's just said, and wrinkles his nose. "Date… Daphne?" he asks. "But she's like, ten!"

"I turned eleven three weeks ago!" Daphne protests. But she makes a face, too. "Guys and girls can be friends without dating, Bella," she says. "Look at Puck and Natalie!"

She gestures at the duo, who are currently rolling around on the lawn, making noises that sound more like wolves than people.

Bella rolls her eyes. "That's just because Puck's in love with your sister. You two, on the other hand…" She smirks. "You'd be perfect together."

Daphne and Wendell look at each other and laugh for a long time.

"I'm too young to date," Daphne says eventually. "Especially a high schooler. Maybe when we're older."

Wendell, still chuckling, wipes tears out of his eyes. "Yeah," he says, "Maybe."


	2. The Beginning of the Dating Saga

**AN~ This be the first official chapter, mateys. Daphne is going to date everybody. It will be fun to have a girl who dates a lot of people but is not considered a harlot.**

**Ice Queen: Glad you liked it! I've actually only dated one guy, but I think I can portray someone who dates five billion guys pretty well- I just am happy with my choice and don't feel the need to play the field. You can review that chapter again with what you'd actually want to say if you want.**

* * *

The thing is, that fall, Daphne does start dating. It's casual at first, but she dates a lot. She's curvier than most girls her age, and her pudge is turning into a shape, instead of making her look kind of chunky. Add that to her bubbly, outgoing personality, and the boys at school go wild for her. Not in an out of control way, of course, but most of them will admit to at least considering asking her out once in a while.

And she always says yes.

Sabrina makes fun of her for it a bit, and worries about her a lot, but Daphne thinks she owes it to these people to give them all a chance. It's not their fault she doesn't have the hots for them, after all. So she goes on at least one date with all of them. If that doesn't work out, then she'll tell them as nicely as possible, but if she has fun, she'll go out with them again.

Most of the relationships don't last longer than a week with a month or so between them.

But she enjoys herself, for the most part. And when it ends, she's never all that sad.

After all, there are plenty of boys out there. She doesn't have to be like Sabrina. She doesn't have to pick one right now and date him forever. There are so many boys out there, and they're all special in their own way. She likes part of all of them, and she wants to see which one she likes best. So she's going to date every boy who asks her out.

* * *

She makes it into a service, come spring (after her first three very awkward long-term boyfriends). She calls it practice dating. Boys who have a crush on someone else but are afraid to tell them, or don't know what to do on a date or something, come to her, and she helps them out. It's fun.

Until the day Puck asks her to give him a practice date.

"Sabrina loves you, you know," Daphne says, smiling at him, as they head for the movies. "You don't have to take me out first- she'll like whatever you do with her, as long as it's not gross or mean."

Puck smirks, looking across the street, and says, "I know. I just wanted to be able to do this." He grabs her hand and swings it.

Daphne looks where he's looking and sees Sabrina, stopped, and glaring fiercely at Puck.

She pulls her hand out of his and smacks him upside the head. "You idiot," she says fondly. "Jealousy won't make her like you more." She smirks. "Besides, I don't think that was jealousy. I think it was 'stay away from my baby sister you giant freak baby.'"

"Same difference," Puck says, his smile turning smug. "I still ticked her off."

Daphne rolls her eyes. Puck is, and always will be, a complete idiot about girls.

Which is why she takes him on the practice date anyway- just in case. Because she saw the expression on his face the day before, when Sabrina suggested they go out for coffee or something sometime, and it was a look of sheer panic. It's no coincidence he decided to infuriate Sabrina by taking Daphne out for dinner so soon after.

Her sister and Puck are so stupid about each other.

* * *

The date goes pretty well, actually.

They go to a movie- a comedy that both of them really wanted to see- then get dinner and ice cream.

It feels nothing like a date, to be honest. After the brief incident with the hand-holding at the beginning, they barely touch. Daphne pays for her own dinner and movie ticket, and neither of them do anything that could even remotely be considered romantic. It's fine with her- Puck is like a brother to her.

A lot of their talk is just about fun stuff, at first. Particularly during dinner. Puck is particularly loud and boisterous, which makes Daphne think he's nervous. But he can't be nervous about her.

So Daphne decides to probe and see what he _is_ nervous about.

"So..." she asks once she's finished her meal, deciding to break in as easily and gently as possible. "You going to take Sabrina out on a date anytime soon?" All right, so maybe it wasn't very gentle.

Puck rolls his eyes, swallowing a french fry. "You know, Marshmallow," he says, "Just 'cause we look the same age doesn't mean we're in love."

"But that's the thing," Daphne pesters. "You still look the same age. It's been years. You're not eleven anymore. You have to admit it's a pretty big coincidence that you always look the same age she does."

"Whatever," Puck says.

"Come on," Daphne wheedles. "You know I won't tell anybody what you're feeling. This is me, remember? Basically your little sister? You can open up to me."

Puck deflates. "Fine," he mutters, poking at his food, "So I like her. It doesn't mean I have to ask her out or anything mushy like that."

"But you know she'd like that," Daphne points out. "She's not super romantic, but she likes you, and she'd like you more if you were nicer and acted like you cared about her enough to bring her flowers or take a shower or pay for her dinner or something."

Puck wrinkles his nose. "If she really liked me, she'd accept me the way I am."

"If you really liked her, you'd change something you knew bothered her to make her happy," Daphne pointed out. "If you give a little on the being nice thing, maybe she'll loosen up about pranks and stuff." She grins at him. "I may not have been in a ton of relationships yet, but I know they're about compromise."

"Yet?" Puck asks, raising an eyebrow (Daphne knows he learned that from Sabrina, but she figures this is a bad time to point that out). "You're not going to be a floozy, are you, Daphne?"

Daphne rolls her eyes. "Please. Just because I like a lot of boys and want to give them all a chance doesn't mean I'm going to start selling my body or anything." She glares at him. "And no changing the subject! Do you like Sabrina enough to try to make her happy or not?"

Puck fidgets, stirring his fries up again.

"This is serious, Puck," Daphne presses. "If you don't like her enough to give things up for her, even for a little bit, then you don't get to have her. And if that's the case, you have to make it clear that you're not worth her time so she can get over you."

"I thought you wanted us to get together," Puck says, giving her a quizzical look.

Daphne shrugs. "I do, kind of. I mean, you both like each other, and the way you flirt-fight is adorable. But if you're just going to mess around with her, then... Well, I mean, I love you like a brother, Puck but Sabrina _is_ my sister. And her happiness comes first. And if you won't make her happy in the long run, then I want her to be able to move on to somebody who will before she wastes any more time on you."

Puck blinks. "When did you get so grown up?"

Daphne steals one of his fries and pops it into her mouth before answering. "I've been grown up for a while. You just haven't noticed."

"Sure, Marshmallow," Puck says. He doesn't sound convinced.

Ages ago, this would have bothered Daphne. But today she's too focused on Puck. "So answer me. Should I tell Sabrina to get over you or will you do something nice for her?"

"Fine," Puck relents. "I'll take her to the movies or something."

Daphne grins. "Good. Now let's go get some ice cream."

* * *

Puck still seems nervous, so while they're eating their ice creams and watching people be stupid in NYC, Daphne asks, "So what are you going to do on your date with Sabrina?"

"I don't know!" Puck explodes. "What does she even like? I've spent so much time making fun of her that I don't even know what she'd want to do if she didn't take fifty showers a day!"

Daphne smiles. She hit the nail on the head. Is she good or what? "She likes baseball. And wrestling. And action movies. And diner food. Take her to one of those places."

"And then what?" Puck asks.

"Then you _talk_ to her," Daphne says. Honestly, how thick _is_ this boy? "You find out what else she likes. You maybe tell her that she looks nice or something. You ask her what's been going on in her life. You listen. You _do not_ insult her unless she insults you first. And if you do end up arguing, you don't say anything that might actually hurt her feelings. Which means that you don't insult her looks, you don't call her stupid, and you don't make fun of the things she really likes to do- actually, that might end bad for you. She's pretty good at defending baseball."

"What's left, then?" Puck demands.

"I don't know!" Daphne exclaims. "You're smart, you'll think of something!"

"And what's she giving up?" Puck asks. "It seems like I'm doing all the giving."

"Well, her pride, for one thing," Daphne says. "And you'll see. Once you show her you actually care about her she'll loosen up a lot."

Puck sighs. "Well, I guess it's worth a try," he mutters. "Come on, Marshmallow, I'll walk you home."

Daphne laughs. "You're sleeping in my house, dummy, of course you'll walk me home." But she goes with him without more of a fight.

All in all, not that bad a date.


End file.
